Born in Karachi, Pakistan, raised between cultures, I've spent two decades pioneering inclusive research methodologies across global development contexts. My career has taken me from conducting participatory research in rural communities in Kenya to presenting findings at UNESCO, from refugee camps in Pakistan where I developed accessible data collection tools to policy meetings in Dhaka where I advocated for evidence-based inclusive programming.

This journey began with a commitment to ensuring that research in development truly includes the voices of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups. What started as methodological innovation evolved into leadership in inclusive research design, training hundreds of researchers across dozens of countries, and generating evidence that has influenced policy at national and international levels.

Along the way, I discovered that the most powerful research combines analytical rigor with compelling storytelling—that data comes alive when presented through narrative frameworks that help readers connect with the human experiences behind the numbers.

Three Interconnected Roles

Inclusive Development Researcher (Established Expertise)

I lead research projects for organizations from grassroots NGOs to UN agencies, specializing in methodologies that genuinely center marginalized voices. My research has influenced policy across Africa, Asia, and Europe, with particular expertise in disability inclusion, participatory evaluation, and evidence-based programming.

Novelist (Active Development)

Drawing from extensive field research experience and deep community engagement, I'm completing my debut novel while developing a second. My fiction examines power, identity, and belonging through the lens of inclusive development, exploring the gap between policy intentions and lived realities.

Public Intellectual (Emerging Voice)

I'm increasingly contributing commentary and analysis on inclusive research methodologies, development effectiveness, and the intersection of evidence and storytelling. This includes speaking engagements, essays, and building a platform for research-informed public discourse.

What Unites All Three

Whether I'm designing an inclusive research methodology, developing characters for my novel, or preparing commentary on development effectiveness, I'm driven by the same core questions: How do we ensure that marginalized voices are genuinely heard and centered? How do we translate complex evidence into understanding that drives change? And how can we bridge the gap between research findings, policy intentions, and lived realities?

My established expertise in inclusive research provides the foundation for both my fiction writing and public voice—each area informing and strengthening the others as I continue to grow as both researcher and storyteller.

Recognition & Credentials

Twenty years of field experience across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America
Principal Investigator on multiple large-scale research projects
Trainer and mentor to researchers across dozens of countries
Contributor to WHO and UNESCO guidelines on inclusive programming
Fluent in multiple languages with extensive networks of local research partners

Personal

When not consulting, writing, or speaking, I can be found reading voraciously, traveling to new places (always with a notebook), and engaging with the literary and development communities in London and beyond. I believe deeply in the power of stories—both the ones we discover through research and the ones we create through imagination—to drive understanding and social change.

Contact

Let's work together. Contact me to see how we might work together

"Don’t let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on the big inequities. It will be one of the great experiences of your lives."

bill gates